Two Ladies

Both the United States and the United Kingdom have produced silver bullion for collectors for decades. Although I've written about them before, I am doing so again to show them side-by-side for comparison purposes — an idea I got while writing my recent post about the Peace Dollar, by showing it side-by-side with its predecessor, the Morgan Dollar.

This particular Britannia bullion (below left) is a new one in my collection, a 2020 mintage! I had one already, but couldn't pass the chance to get another at slightly above spot, so I jumped at the opportunity!

The Royal Mint of the UK introduced their Britannia silver bullion in 1997 (although gold versions were made since 1987). Prior to 2013, the silver Britannia had a fineness of 958 (95.8% or "Britannia silver"). Since 2013 the silver has been produced with a fineness of 999 (99.9% silver), a mass of 31.21 g, and a diameter of 38.61 mm. The feminine figure on this piece is Britannia, the personification of Liberty and the United Kingdom, itself.

In 1986, the US Mint introduced the American Silver Eagle as the official silver bullion of the US, after the release of the Gold Eagle in 1985. The American Silver Eagle has a fineness of 999 (99.9% silver), a mass of 31.1 g (one Troy ounce), and a diameter of 40.6 mm (1.598 in). The woman depicted on the Silver Eagle, is Lady Liberty, of course, the personification of the concept of Liberty and the US.

The obverse (front) of the Britannia features a portrait of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II as the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. A majestic eagle dominates the obverse of the American Silver Eagle round.

These two ladies, Britannia and Liberty, have already appeared together, in at least one collection:

In January 2004, the Mint issued the "Legacies of Freedom United States and United Kingdom Silver Bullion Coin Set" which consisted of a 2003 bullion Silver Eagle and a 2002 Silver Britannia bullion coin from the United Kingdom. The set had an issue limit of 50,000. ^[1]